Meeting of the Parliament 24 February 2015
If there is one thing that we should never lose sight of, it is the importance of investing for the future. Of course there is a need for day-to-day expenditure on doctors, teachers and medicines right now, but we also owe it to our children and to future generations to invest in infrastructure.
It does no harm to look back at some of the things that have been achieved. For example, local projects that have benefited my constituency in the east end of Glasgow are the M74 completion; the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link, which gives us a direct link to Edinburgh; the Commonwealth games infrastructure, including the sports facilities, Dalmarnock station and, especially, the athletes village, which is now seeing residents moving in; and, very locally, Garrowhill primary school, which has just come into operation.
Right now, we see more projects happening in my area, including the M8, M73 and M74 improvements that are mentioned in the motion; the electrification of the Whifflet rail line; and the Clyde Gateway urban regeneration company, which has achieved major improvements in Dalmarnock in Glasgow and across in Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire. Some of those improvements are easy to see—for example, a new police building—while others are less visible but equally important, such as restoration of contaminated land, which can cost millions but opens the door to future development.
We probably all have lists of projects that we would like to see happening. We have heard of some already, but I will concentrate on two areas, the first of which is housing. There has been a surprising lack of mentions of housing thus far in the debate, but I remain convinced that housing is one of the best areas for investment. Clearly, housing investment will help people at the bottom end of the scale who are currently in old houses that are difficult to heat and where they might face overcrowding, which has a knock-on effect on kids’ education. Other folk are stuck upstairs in closes when they can no longer manage the stairs. Investment in housing has huge benefits in reducing energy costs, ensuring families have enough space, improving mental health and many other things.
Not surprisingly, the second area that I want to mention is rail, not least because I am co-convener of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on rail. I am glad to see that rail has had serious attention in the debate. Of course, when members come to the cross-party group—as I hope the new Minister for Transport and Islands will—it does not take them long to hear of the wide range of projects that folk would like to see. As has been mentioned, the Airdrie to Bathgate line has been opened very successfully, and it should be able to handle many extra passengers when Queen Street station high level and the tunnel are closed for refurbishment and the EGIP improvements.
I am delighted that EGIP is now going forward below the original budget. The idea of longer trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh was a real breakthrough and saves so much having to be spent on signalling in order to increase frequency, which was the original plan. Electrification around Glasgow has been moving steadily forward after many years of little action. Most recently, as I said, there is the Whifflet line, which runs through Carmyle, Mount Vernon and Baillieston in my constituency and which means that trains are able to use the Argyle line and many more destinations for passengers on that route. Clearly, the Borders line is also shaping up well, and I very much look forward to trying it out in the autumn—albeit maybe not on the first day.
Looking forward, the challenge is in choosing which projects should be priorities. Glasgow airport is often mentioned as needing a rail or tram link, as has been said in the debate. In an ideal world, I would welcome that. I guess that I am somewhat torn as to how high a priority that should be. In the February recess, I flew from Edinburgh to Berlin and then from Berlin to Glasgow, so I used three airports and two had a rail or tram link that was fine. However, the easiest and quickest trip to or from all three airports was that for Glasgow. The bus into the city centre is absolutely great, although I accept that there are problems in the rush hour. However, I doubt that the train could really compete with the bus on journey time. So, whether a Glasgow rail link should be a priority is a tricky decision, especially when there are many other transport and non-transport priorities asking for money.
Crossrail is another major rail project that has been mentioned. Again, ideally, I would love to see that as it would link Ayrshire and Renfrewshire to the rail network north and east of Glasgow. Just as the Helensburgh to Edinburgh line takes passengers into and out of Glasgow as well as through the city, so crossrail could take passengers from Kilmarnock, Ayr and Paisley to Edinburgh as well as to Glasgow. Clearly, however, crossrail will work only if there is a station at Glasgow Cross that links with the Argyle line underneath, with connections to Motherwell, Hamilton and elsewhere. That would not come cheap; it would improve transport connections and boost a struggling area, but it would be a serious expense.
Against the Glasgow-focused projects, albeit that they also benefit much of the rest of Scotland, there is a need to address other projects around the country—for example, double tracking the line to Aberdeen from the south at the current bottleneck at Montrose. I am, of course, a Glasgow MSP, but we all have to think nationally as well. Aberdeen and the north-east surely deserve a proper rail line all the way.